Rescue Me
by Mari Falcon
Summary: Whenever good things happen, Naruto always seems to lose something precious. It was as if the universe thought too much good would spoil him. To save his village, his family, what, or who, will he have to lose this time? Sequel to "Belly of the Beast."
1. Prologue

Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere's Johnny!

No, actually, it's just me. I survived CORTRAMID. Yay! If anyone makes me say "Aye Corporal" in the next month, I'll fire a grenade launcher at them. Be scared. I actually hit the target at 400 m. Oh yeah.

Anyway, this is just the prologue. It is relevant, I promise. I know it's been a month, so I'll refresh your memories: this is from the mission to Lightning, where Kushina was captured and Kyuubi met his mate. Remember that? Okay, we're good.

I'll update next monday, and as usual, keep the schedule as much as possible. Updating today is a present for one of my readers. You know who you are. :D

Still, I'll try to keep the cliffies down on this one. I know you all hate them, so I'll do my best.

**_This is a sequel. Do not read without reading "If Only" and "Belly of the Beast" first!_**

Disclaimer for this story: I don't own Naruto.

Rescue Me

by Mari Falcon

_Prologue_

The young redhead—not natural, he noted—thrashed and screamed on the cot. The room was rank with her sweat, fear and pain, as it had been for days. The second had really come out a few hours into the experiments, when she realized what was going on, when they discovered the wonderfully complex summoning seal on her back. His experts had copied and analyzed it, then pulled it out of her skin, much to the young woman's . . . discomfort. They couldn't figure out how it worked, which led him to believe that it was involved in a kekkai genkai of some sort.

But nothing more could be done with it until they had who it summoned, so he turned back to the subject in front of him.

Such interesting energy in this one. He'd seen it before, in a few, rare subjects. Their chakra was far more powerful than normal, and those of higher rank could use it much more finely. Still, that was with mere traces of this fantastic substance. They were contaminated with the blood and chakra of normal ninjas. This girl was pure.

"Send it to her eyes again," he commanded.

She shook her head, understanding what was about to come next. His technicians carefully, delicately, reached through their chakra strings into her body and redirected the flow of the energy, sending it straight to her eyes. She had them squeezed shut as tightly as possible. The monitors on her body beeped happily, reporting the energy centering in her eyes.

He nodded and turned back to her, but her eyelids still covered them. An uncharacteristic frown slipped on her face. "Open her eyelids."

The others in the room shifted uneasily and she whimpered on the bed. He spun to them. "We need her eyelids open to get results. You and you—"He pointed to two random men. "—force them open."

The men gulped, but stepped forward. The girl began to shake her head back and forth furiously.

"You hold her head still," he ordered another one, impatient to see results. In previous times, they'd been able to get her eyelids open a sliver before she bit someone's finger off.

He hoped this time it would be different. Sensors were attached to her skull, watching brain waves, and he'd performed an incredibly complicated medical jutsu that linked her optical cortex to a screen. It was blank right now, as her eyes were shut tightly, but he knew it worked. He wanted to see what she saw, see what that energy saw, what it was.

His attention was once again on her as she growled and tried to bite fingers. Her legs and arms quivered in their restraints, bruised, broken in some places from her desperate attempts to escape. Her cot rocked back and forth, enough for him to feel the vibrations in the floor. Finally, one of them grabbed a hold of her neck, putting just enough pressure on it to freeze her entire head in place.

She howled and tried to break free, but his brute strength was no match for her, dehydrated, undernourished and overmedicated. The other two came up, braver now, and pinched at her eyelids. The screen showed flashes of color as her eyeball tried to interpret the pressure and her screams increased in volume and intensity.

A sliver of real color appeared on the screen, but vanished as they lost their grip. He spared but a glance for them: three men and twenty restraints holding down one barely adult female. Pathetic.

He barked out an order to hurry up, as her screams were hurting his ears now. He wanted to _see. _

At last—_finally_—they managed to wrench open her lids. His eyes widened as he stared at the screen, at the colors and patterns. There was green, brilliantly emerald specks floating in the air, concentrated in the shape of—people? He gasped, trying to process the images, but suddenly her screams reached a crescendo. The jutsu connecting her eyes and the screen overloaded and shorted out, causing an explosion of chakra that sent everyone flying.

He hit the ground hard and the breath was knocked out of him. Something inside cracked. He pushed himself to his elbows to see green energy—_green energy, green specks—_arcing across her eyes, as if trying to escape. Almost like lightning, it shot across the room, finding someplace new to go. It landed on one of the technicians, who had been holding her eyes open.

For half an instant, the man glowed bright, dazzling green. _Why green? _But the energy was too much for him. His skin began to split and peel and his face contorted in pain as the green energy continued to pour into him.

He shoved off the floor and ran out the door, slamming it shut and locking it tight behind him. On the other side, his howls reached agony as his bones exploded from the unnatural pressure of the energy.

The man watched as he died, and the energy searched for a new home. Understanding lit inside him. They were forcing all of this strange, green energy to her eyes, but it was too much. In self-preservation, it was leaving her eyes, searching for a new body to temporarily stay in until it could return to its place. But the energy was hers, and only hers, it couldn't be transferred or given away.

Another man died the same way as the first. He scratched his chin, thinking over the complications of this. His mouth twitched unhappily as yet another assistant was fried. He spun to the controls of her energy and dialed it down, returning the flow to normal. The crackling green energy in the room flew back to her body, now that it wouldn't destroy her flesh and blood.

He stepped back to the door and unlocked it. The remaining men crawled or ran out. He nearly gagged at the smell as he stepped inside. Charred flesh and urine. Added to that was the smell of her, unwashed for days, and the unfortunately old, rusty metal the room was made of. He'd need to spend a long time in the bath houses tonight before going home to his family.

The female was sobbing on the cot, her body trembling. Tears and blood were rolling from her eyes. "My friends," she rasped. He grimaced to her hear voice, nearly gone from the constant howling. "They're—"

"Not coming for you," he interrupted, sighing. "Everyone says that. I suppose I could tell you why you're wrong."

She gasped, but didn't answer and he took that as a yes. "This place is a sort of reverse summoning," he began. "Just as the creatures you summon live in a parallel dimension, so to speak, so does this place. You're not in your world anymore."

A sob escaped from her battered throat. "That doesn't matter," she whispered. Her lower lip split as she talked, and blood pooled on her chin. Disgusting. "They'll find me eventually."

"Wrong, again," he said. He leaned down and pulled at the recording device in the room, the one hooked up to the now broken screen. "You see, Lightning is home to some of the greatest time and space jutsu masters in the world. They all collaborated—and what an ego fest that was—to help with this place. In addition to being out of sync with your space, it is out of sync with time."

He picked up a rod and poked at the chunky remains of one member of his team. "Every week here is only one day there, approximately." He dropped the metal as she began to understand. "You probably told them to meet you in two or three days. That gives me anywhere from fourteen to twenty-one days to find out what I want before I send you back. Oh, and you won't remember anything, really. Just vague impressions, and a lot of pain."

He sighed contentedly, thinking of all the ways to erase her memory. "I love medicine."

"What do you want, you sick bastard?" she demanded.

"I want to understand that energy that you have," he answered. He wished he could look in her eyes—_green eyes, green energy—_as she came to realize what he was going to do. "I want to know what it is, I want to know what it can do, I want to know where it came from, but most of all, I want to know how your body survives it. You saw what it did to your men. There is something in your genes that allows you to carry and use this energy. I intend to find those genes and discover the truth of your energy."

"Why?" she asked.

"It is powerful," he responded. "And the people I work for want a powerful weapon. If I can isolate those genes, possibly reproduce them in another, Lightning would have an army of warriors with that energy, that energy which enhances jutsu and healing time, which deepens chakra and control. We would be unstoppable."

"I'll kill myself first," she gasped. "I won't let you use me as a weapon."

He sighed and stepped over an intact bone, femur probably, based on its circumference. "I won't let you. And I won't kill you either. You can lead me to others with this energy. And there's always the possibility of you having children. I would like to see what this energy does to a bloodline limit, how it affects it."

Just before he closed the door, the Lightning doctor gave a small smile. "Imagine how powerful those children would be. Who wouldn't love to get their hands on them."

* * *

--

* * *

It's a cliffie, yes, but it's also a clue. Don't worry, everything will be explained in time.

I love you all. Thank you for waiting so patiently.

And for those of you who asked, yes, this is the last part. I've had it planned since chapter 1 of If Only (with minor adjustments for canon changes. grrrr). Hope you enjoyed it and see you in a week!

Review!! Tell me how much you missed me!!

* * *


	2. Chapter 1

Yeah, I'm a day late, sorry. We moved and had internet problems. And landlady problems. Ugh. I hate moving.

Anyway, the prologue was about Kushina. If you don't remember, in BotB, chapter 20(ish), Kyuubi talked about a mission to Lightning. Also, the dyed red hair and the seal that Minato put on her back. That doctor erased her memory of what happened.

So, yeah. Here we go!

_Rescue Me_

Chapter 1

He had a daughter.

Minato stared blankly into the middle distance, trying to wrap his mind around that fact. He had a little girl, his little girl. And her name was Tama. _Jewel. _

His mind spun, attempting to form a picture of her. She'd be sixteen, just like Naruto. He knew her hair would be blond and her eyes would be light, but there were still so many possibilities. Would she have her mother's golden hair or his yellow locks? Blue, green or some combination? Was she tall or short? He wanted to pull his hair out—he needed a picture.

But even if he got one, that only answered a few questions. Who was she? What was she like? What was her favorite food, favorite color? What were her pet peeves? Had Kushina trained her as a ninja? If not, what did she want to be? What made her laugh?

Minato closed his eyes and forced himself to focus. All of those questions could be answered under the provision that they got her back. That was his priority.

While the other three in the room were shouting at each other—probably waking half of Konoha in the process, could they be any louder—Minato studied the letter they'd received. Blank paper, except for the words sprawling on several lines.

_We have Uzumaki Tama. Bring the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki to the Heaven and Earth bridge at sunset in two days, or she will be killed._

There was no signature, only a red cloud, but tucked inside the rolled letter had been a lock of her hair. Clichéd, but the hair had chakra all over it. Kushina had confirmed, it was Tama's. And the chakra was fresh, so she'd been alive when this had been cut.

Kushina had sent frantic letters to the clan in the valley, desperately hoping that they'd managed to fake it somehow. Minato didn't even consider that possibility. He sat down and picked apart the letter, word by word.

The name "Akatsuki" had been mentioned. Red Dawn. Red dawn, red clouds. Why red?

"Uzumaki Tama" versus "Kyuubi Jinchuuriki." Akatsuki was trying to distance them from Naruto while emphasizing Tama's importance. Of course, if they knew of the Kyuubi, they had to know that bringing Naruto wasn't smart. He could count on one hand the people that could control Kyuubi's demonic chakra. Himself, because he was linked to the seal. Jiraiya, because he had control of the other half of the chakra, theoretically. Yamato, because he had the First's chakra and power. And of course, anyone with the Mangekyo Sharingan.

Realization struck him like a thunderbolt.

It was Madara. He was behind all of it.

The red dawn and clouds were signature of the time-altering genjutsu of the Mangekyo, and that was just about the only way to completely control Kyuubi.

But, Madara _had _control of Kyuubi. Sixteen years ago, he had Kyuubi in the palm of his hand. And he'd sicced him on Konoha. Perhaps he was regretting his decision: he hadn't planned on defeat.

No, no. Minato thought. He'd been working with Orochimaru. The snake sennin had been the one to suggest the seal, to help him modify it. He'd helped him plan Kyuubi's defeat and there was no way he'd be able to hide that kind of deception from Madara. The Uchiha leader had been a master of lies—saying them and seeing through them.

So, Madara had made Kyuubi attack, with the knowledge that he would be sealed away, and now, sixteen years later, he wanted control again. Why? What did he gain by it?

Minato put Madara's incomprehensible schemes out of his head, just as he tuned out the perpetual shouting in the same room. He sighed deeply and caught a whiff of a hospital—antiseptic and medicine. Beneath that was a combination of ink and alcohol. Jiraiya was coming, limping slowly along, probably with the help of Kakashi.

_The Heaven and Earth bridge. _That was no coincidence. Minato knew Madara well enough to know that a ninja of his caliber did nothing randomly. This was purposeful. There was some strategic advantage to the place, but instinct told Minato there was more to it. A message.

The name, heaven and earth. The bridge between heaven and earth was death. Was that the message? The two sides would meet at death. But whose death? Tama's? His? Naruto's? The strength of the seal came from the Shinigami—another link to death. But what did it all lead up to?

And at sunset. Once again, the crossing over from day to night. A turning point, a choice. That was what Madara was saying. Heaven and earth. Day and night. Tama and Naruto.

And two days. Two choices. And that was probably enough time to get to the heaven and earth bridge, if they left right away. Done with his musing, for the moment, Minato tuned back in to the real world. He could feel his sensei's chakra. Primarily earth-based, Jiraiya felt like a rock. He may seem unstable sometimes, but he was more often than not steady. And, as suspected, Kakashi was walking with him. They were probably talking about the newest installment of Jiraiya's porn series.

Minato blew a breath out and turned to the others in the room. Kushina's face was flushed and she looked to be on the verge of a breakdown. Naruto's pupils were dangerously slitted and when he shouted, his lengthened fangs were exposed.

"What significance does the Heaven and Earth bridge hold?" he interrupted. Instantly, Naruto and Tsunade froze.

Kushina blinked at him in confusion. "What?"

"That is where Madara wants to make the exchange," Minato explained. "He must have a reason, a personal reason. Something beyond the symbolism. Naruto?"

The youngest blond was silent for a long moment, and Minato sensed his hesitation, but more than that, his shame. Eventually, he spoke.

"Six months ago, we met Orochimaru there. Things happened, I got angry," he said. The blue eyes, so full of energy, were lost in the past. "I lost control. I went into the four-tailed form and fought Orochimaru. Yamato stopped me before I could kill him."

Minato nodded, though no words really sank in after "I lost control." He folded the paper again and set it on his—Tsuande's desk. "Madara's sending us a message. We have a choice, but he has control. Of Kyuubi."

"Not anymore!" Naruto protested. "The furball's free of that genjutsu!"

"But he could still be put under it again," Jiraiya said from the doorway. He was still weak, and Minato pulled a chair up for him to sit in. "And you know what will happen if Akatsuki gets their hands on you."

The way he said it made fear run through Minato. "What will happen?"

The answering silence intensified the fear, and dread wormed its way into his stomach. With apparent reluctance, Jiraiya answered. "They will break the bond between Kyuubi and Naruto. Kyuubi will be in their control, as will seven—"

"That's impossible," Minato interrupted. "The only thing that can break the seal is death."

Exactly three seconds of dead silence followed his statement.

"Precisely," Tsunade said. "If we give Naruto to them, they will remove the Kyuubi from them and he will die."

Kushina and Minato sat down at almost exactly the same time. "But if we don't," she whispered. "They'll kill Tama."

Choices. Life and death. Tama and Naruto.

Tama _or _Naruto.

His head suddenly felt like it was being split in half. His son or his daughter.

"He knows that we'll never agree to this," Tsunade said. "He knows I won't because that would give them Kyuubi's power and you two won't because he's your son. This must be a ruse."

Minato rubbed at his head. He could feel the blood pounding in his body, anger, fear and desperation mixing together. "So what do we do?"

"Naruto creates a clone," Kakashi answered. "We send him, with anyone who choses to go. The real Naruto stays here, under heavy guard."

Tsunade nodded. "Yes. I'll send some Jounin ahead. They'll be placed in the nearby town, ready and waiting. When we take 'Naruto' out there," she said. "We'll have to find a way to get Tama out before they realize that it's a clone."

"Has the nature of clones changed since I died?" Minato asked, confused. "Last time I checked, clones were just illusions and couldn't be that far from their makers without dissolving."

Jiraiya chuckled. "I keep forgetting that you don't know this stuff. Naruto knows the shadow clone jutsu and he's got enough chakra to keep it up at unbelievable distances."

Minato blinked. "That's a hell of a lot of chakra."

"Yeah," Naruto agreed. "Kyuubi boosts my chakra reserves."

Yondaime's eyebrows shot up. "Wow. That's one incredible boost."

"Yeah," Naruto said, spinning around. "Being a Jinchuuriki is really useful, except when psychos want the demon locked inside your belly."

He folded his arms and glared at Minato. Guilt swamped him and he nearly went under for a minute, lost in the accusation of his son's eyes. Someone said something and Naruto broke eye contact. Minato squeezed his eyes shut, forcing the emotions away, locking them in a box. Now wasn't the time for the family issues. They had bigger problems to deal with.

Kakashi and Tsunade were discussing plans for the encounter, including feints, replacement jutsus and more shadow clones. Minato tried to make himself pay attention, but his thoughts were scattering, skittering around his brain. Each time he tried to grab hold of one, it slid out of his reach. He could feel his control slipping, feel the paranoia of the Shinigami's stomach crawling up his throat.

_Why now? _He thought. Usually he was more focused when there was danger, why was he falling apart when they—his daughter needed him most?

Naruto's anger. His reminder of the seal, of his greatest triumph and deepest regret. It sent him back, brought up the guilt he'd carried for sixteen years while fighting, running and dying. Minato fisted his hands in his hair, strove for solidity, sanity.

A warm hand closed over his and the scent of wildflowers wrapped around him. _Kushina. _She always smelled that way because of the meadow in the valley, he remembered. She loved to take naps in grassy fields. "Minato? We should go home."

He took a deep breath, and ran his fingers over her palm. The panic fled as she rubbed her other hand on his shoulder. He opened his eyes and took her in—red hair, bright green, worried eyes. He managed to smile up at her and the world became light again.

Kushina returned his smile. "We decided on a plan and we're going to leave first thing in the morning," she explained, tugging him to his feet. "I'll tell you when we get home, okay?"

"Home?" Minato wondered, disoriented. His home, in the north sector. No, that was still tied up in red tape. "Naruto's apartment."

"For ten years," the Chuunin agreed sulkily.

Kushina intervened before the guilt could drag him under again. "Well, I hope your house gets cleared soon," she said. "With Tama coming here, we won't have a whole lot of room."

"We don't have much room anyway,"Minato said. He flexed his hand in Kushina's as they exited the Hokage building. The night air was cool, refreshing. It finished clearing his head, and he breathed the clean air deeply. A western breeze blew down the street, ruffling his messy spikes and blowing his clothes about him. He was wearing borrowed items, as he hadn't had a chance to shop for new ones yet. Naruto was walking ahead of them, and part of Minato knew why there was such fervor in him, but he didn't want to acknowledge it. A reference had been enough to send him spiraling down. He didn't want to think what a conversation, or even worse, a full-blown argument, would do to his precarious hold on sanity.

The rest of the walk back was in silence, uncomfortable and tense.

At last, Naruto pushed open the door to his apartment, having not locked it before. He paced inside and Kushina, the last one in, closed the door. The proverbial elephant stood in the corner, giant, waiting, ignorable as long as no one spoke of it.

Naruto flopped down on the floor, leaning against a wall, staring out the window resolutely.

The silence expanded until the tiny apartment could no longer take it. The interminable silence pressed on Minato and he began wishing for some noise, some anything. He couldn't be silent. Cold and silent and dark.

He didn't even realize he was holding his breath until he opened his mouth to speak and took in a deep, gasping breath. Naruto and Kushina both turned to him, varying amounts of worry in their eyes. He locked eyes with Naruto.

"Say it."

His son's blue eyes changed, from mildly worried to electric. They were filled with anger, brimming over with it, but the longer Minato stared at them, the more hurt he saw swimming underneath.

"Say it, Naruto."

Kushina stepped forward. "Look, I don't think—"

"Now isn't the time?" Minato interrupted. "Would you rather this come up while we're fighting for Tama? No, I want this out now, in the open. We can deal with it then!"

"And just how do you think we'll deal with it?" Naruto asked, exploding up to stand. "How do you suggest we get past this? Do you think we'll ever be a normal family?"

Minato opened his mouth to reply, but Naruto barreled over him, fueled by sixteen years of repressed anger and betrayal. "You—_You _abandon this family, your decisions tear it apart, and now you're playing psychologist to put it back together! It doesn't work that way!"

"Then what do you think we should do, Naruto?" Minato demanded, coming around to face his son.

"Any way to reverse time?" Naruto shouted. "Because if it weren't for that stupid seal, we wouldn't be in this situation at all!"

Kushina stepped forward, holding her hands out. "Listen—"

"NO!" Naruto bellowed, throwing his hands up. "I'm through listening. I'm done! I've listened to your explanations, your excuses!"

"Excuses?" Kushina said. "Those weren't excuses!"

"You gave up!" Naruto turned to his father. "And you didn't even try to find another way, did you? You both just let Orochimaru manipulate you! Great ninjas, smart people and you let snake-face talk you into tearing this 'family' apart, abandoning me!"

Minato wanted to close his eyes, run away and escape from the terrible truth, but there was no where to escape to. The truth, even if Naruto never reminded him of it, was like a shadow, following wherever he went, a constant burden he would never atone for.

"Do you even have any idea what my life was like?" Naruto shouted. "I told you, I've lived in this apartment for ten years, since I was six, by myself! I—"

Something occurred to Minato, and he grabbed hold of it, hoping to stop Naruto's tirade for now. He couldn't do this now. "What about before you were six?"

That stopped Naruto in his tracks. "What?"

"You said you've lived here since you were six," Minato said, thankful for the distraction. "What about before that? Someone had to take care of you before then. Who was it?"

Naruto stared blankly at him. His eyes drifted to the side, and the younger blond searched his memory. After a few minutes, his expression became more intense, and even more bewildered.

"Naruto?" Kushina asked.

"I . . . I don't know," Naruto muttered.

Minato frowned. "What don't you know?"

"Who took care of me," he answered, brow still furrowed in confusion. "I can't seem to remember."

Minato exchanged a glance with Kushina. Most kids remembered at least snatches of life, faces, or places before they were six. Long-term memory actually began forming when an infant was six or seven months old. Naruto _should _remember something. "What's your earliest memory?" Minato asked.

"Here." He gestured. "I was in here and Sarutobi was talking to me about . . . something. It feels like I can't understand him. I'm scared and confused."

Naruto shook his head and sat down. "I feel like there should be something there, you know? Why can't I remember?"

Kushina pulled up a chair and sat down next to him. She reached up and ran her fingers through his hair. "Don't worry, honey. We'll figure this out."

"What do we do until then?" Naruto asked.

"Get your sister back," Minato said. "Try to meditate, even if you can't sleep. I'll make some tea, like my grandfather taught. It should help you relax. We have a big day tomorrow."

* * *

Kyuubi paced back and forth in his cell, tails twitching irritably. He'd managed to keep the secret for ten years. Ten years, he'd protected the kit's sanity, prevented what the snake actually wanted.

But now, things were falling apart at the seams. It was only so long until Naruto went back to his memory bank and started poking around. Then, things would get bad. Kyuubi figured it was too late for Orochimaru's real plan and the freak was dead anyway, but still.

Things were adding up. That memory Naruto dredged up while searching for his _Areah Broah, _the appearance of that stupid old priest, and now this. Hopefully the situation with Tama would keep their minds off of Naruto's 'missing' memories until Kyuubi could figure out a way to repress them even further.

* * *

--

* * *

what's the secret? any guesses? anyone? Bueller? . . . Bueller?

So, yeah. It'll all be explained soon, and next chapter will be Tama's rescue mission.


	3. Chapter 2

It's funny to see how many of you thing Naruto was experimented on when he was done. Let me just say--it has been done before, and badly. And this story will probably be nothing like most of you think.

that said. that's all for this AN.

Chapter 2

The trees flew past as Naruto sprinted through them. This was his ninth lap around the training grounds, each one equaling a mile, and he still wanted to run. His legs were twitching anxiously, but no matter how hard or how fast he ran in circles, it wasn't enough.

_You know why, kit,_ Kyuubi snarled deep in his head.

_Oh, maybe it's just 'cause my twin sister is being held by homicidal maniacs, my parents are out there trying to get her back right now, and I'm stuck here because it's too dangerous. And—oh yeah! I have no memory from before I was six years old! By the way do you know anything about that?_

Kyuubi chuckled. "_Why haven't you just created a mass of shadow clones and slipped away to help your sister in the confusion?"_

_Because of that stupid promise I made my dad, _Naruto groused. It wasn't fair! Minato had tricked him into promising to stay in Konoha.

"_What was the exact promise you made?"_

Naruto mentally sighed, pushing his legs to move even faster. _I promised that I wouldn't follow them. _

"_But did you make any promises about not going after your sister on your own?"_

_Well, no. _

Kyuubi threw his great head back and roared with laughter. _"You've lose your touch, kit. Six months ago you would have seen that loophole instantly." _

_Shut up, you big dumb furball. _Naruto snarled as his fingers created a familiar handsign and he felt the energy pour out of him as an army of shadow clones materialized.

* * *

As a horde of Naruto clones flew past them, three visitors just stared and thanked their lucky stars that almost all of the ANBU and ninja in Konoha were chasing after the errant blond—all of them.

Karin smirked. It would be that much easier to break Sasuke out now, with everyone chasing after the Jinchuuriki. She stood and walked out of the tacky little ramen shop, followed immediately by Juugo and Suigetsu—and his incessant whining.

"Aw, I was just about to start, too," the fish man complained. He riffled through his wallet, but slipped out between the flaps before putting any money down.

"Could you be any more obvious," Karin hissed when he caught up with them. "You've got that freakish hair, a mouth full of fangs and a huge sword strapped to your back. We need to be inconspicuous until we get to Sasuke."

"Then let's hurry up and get to him," Suigetsu said. "Where is he, oh great chakra tracker?"

Karin threw him a nasty look and would have jumped forward to inflict as much pain on him as possible, had Juugo not muttered "Sasuke" under his breath. The redhead controlled herself, imagining all kinds of lovely, dark, excruciating deaths that she could deliver to Suigetsu after they'd rescued Sasuke.

She sighed slightly, imagining the look on his exquisite face when he realized she was there to save him. Surely he'd fall in love with her then, right?

But wait—wouldn't being rescued by a girl undermine his sense of masculinity? Karin stopped dead in her tracks, refusing to go along with any plan that would endanger her relationship with the handsome Uchiha.

No. Sasuke was so strong and so manly, he would certainly have no trouble with this. He'd be glad to have such a powerful woman by his side. One who would brave the terrors of anything—including Konohan idiocy—to save him.

Buoyed by hope and certainty that she would at last get a kiss from him—as much as she liked the healing bites, something a bit gentler was in order for their love—Karin continued walking, ignoring the confused, exasperated looks shared by her teammates.

"Well, which way is he, Karin?" Suigetsu asked.

His grating voice pulled her out of her happy daydream—where Sasuke thanked her for her daring rescue in the form of abundant groping. With a sigh and a sneer, Karin decided to focus on Sasuke, searching for his incredible chakra in this dank village of mediocrity. She wrinkled her nose as the Jinchuuriki's double chakra flooded her senses. With an effort, she pushed through it, though there was so much it was like swimming through quicksand.

_Where are you, my darling, sexy Sasuke? _

She skimmed over the village, confident that he would light up like a beacon. He didn't. A frown creased her forehead.

_Okay, seriously, Sasuke. Where are you? _

Karin did a more thorough sweep of the village, hunting for the dark, twisted chakra she knew so well. Still, nothing.

_Where the hell are you?! _

A street-by-street search this time. She found a hint of something, it was almost his chakra, but not quite. It was, cleaner, somehow. Karin couldn't understand it. There were just minute traces of Sasuke's chakra in the air. At least, she thought it was Sasuke's chakra. It _sorta _felt like him. With a sigh, she decided to find this impostor. If it was Sasuke, and the Leaf bastards had messed with his beautiful self, she would kill them all. If it wasn't and someone was pretending to be him, she'd kill them, too.

Either way, it worked out.

The trail led to the military center of Konoha, and even more specifically, to the prison center of the ANBU headquarters. Karin huffed. This might be marginally difficult, but if the Jinchuuriki could make another timely disturbance, it would be a cakewalk.

"Come on, what are you waiting for?" she snapped to the other two. "We have an important mission."

Juugo stepped off silently, as usual, but Suigetsu followed Karin with a string of grievances. He started with why it took so long for her to find Sasuke, moved on to the dry atmosphere of Konoha, and ended with Karin's hair color giving him a headache.

"Don't look at it, then," she said. Karin was testy. She'd already lost the traces half a dozen times. It was like this person—Sasuke or not—had no chakra at all. She'd never seen anything like it before.

After several minutes of winding through the crowded streets and getting nowhere fast, Suigetsu warned that if they didn't move faster, he'd take out his sword and start mowing people down. It would certainly help the gene pool.

"But we wouldn't exactly blend in, now would we, your royal bitchiness?"

Juugo looked between them, hoping they wouldn't come to blows. He could already feel the violence in the air and with each second, he lost more control. This constant bickering wasn't good for him, and Sasuke wasn't here to corral him if things got out of hand. He cleared his throat and shifted his stance slightly.

Thankfully, it drew the attention of Karin and Suigetsu, who simultaneously shut up. A moment later, Karin jumped up to the nearest roof and started racing along it, in the direction of ANBU headquarters. Suigetsu and Juugo followed not long after, all three keeping an eye out for tails or guards.

"Suigetsu, go north and create another disturbance," Karin ordered. "As much noise as you can, draw as many ANBU over there as possible."

"And you and Juugo will . . ." Suigetsu waited for her to finish.

"Break. Sasuke. Out."

Suigetsu gritted his extremely sharp teeth at her condescending tone. "And where will we meet afterwards? Or were you planning on deserting me in this dull heap of happiness and nobility?"

Karin shot him a dirty look and opened her mouth to answer him, but Suigetsu held up one finger. "And remember who asked me to come, Red."

She seethed, but snapped out, "Two miles northeast of the gates. Try not to bring too many of them with you, okay?"

Without waiting for a response, Karin picked up her speed, flying off toward the prison and may-or-may-not-be Sasuke. Juugo followed silently, though he would have rather gone with Suigetsu. Karin was simply so unstable. She seemed to attract problems. And Juugo didn't like problems.

They arrived just outside the prison, Karin clearly giving up with all pretense. "Sasuke's in there."

The ANBU exchanged glances, but the pressure had been building in Juugo for weeks while Sasuke had been in Konoha. He'd managed to avoid bloodbaths by staying away from people, and reminding himself that Sasuke would be coming back soon, but now, _now, _he could finally let all of the pressure out.

One of the ANBU realized that the big one was trouble and tried to call for backup, but Karin launched a kunai and distracted him. In the single instant that the ANBU was blocking the kunai, Juugo leaped forward and batted them both to the side with one _giant _dark hand-claw. He proceeded to punch through the wall, sending shockwaves through the building.

* * *

Sasuke blinked as the building shook around him. The guard staring at him didn't move, but his eyes did flicker uncertainly. The building shook and dust drifted down from cracks.

It had to happen twice more before the guard finally stepped up. Sasuke tensed, watching him carefully. The guard's hands raised and flashed through a jutsu, but before he could finish it, the man was in a genjutsu. Under its influence, the man reached up and unlocked the cell he was in. Sasuke stepped out, smirking, and poked the guard on his pressure point.

_And he's an ANBU. _

Sasuke swayed slightly. He knew there were sedatives in his food. Combine that with standing one place for hours at a time all day, and having his chakra sealed, and Sasuke wasn't in too great of a place. But Juugo was coming—he knew that chakra and no one could wreak quite as much destruction as Juugo in a rage.

Karin was probably with Juugo, that's how they found him. He couldn't sense Suigetsu, so that probably meant that the sword-weilder was off somewhere doing what he did best: causing trouble.

_I could go forward and meet them, but that would use more of my energy. If Karin and Juugo weren't coming now, I couldn't have made this move. Should I stay here, wait? _

Fortunately, the point was made moot as half-and-half Juugo came smashing through the nearest wall. Sasuke raised an eyebrow at him. Juugo just looked back and panted. Apparently, crashing through solid concrete was tough, even for a half-transformed behemoth.

"Oh, Sasuke—"

He cut her off, and momentarily slashed all hopes of a sexy reunion. "Let's go."

* * *

"Kushina, calm down!"

The redhead continued to pace back and forth frantically. "I can't. This is nerve-wracking. What if they kill her anyway? What if Naruto's clone doesn't fool them?"

"Look, we _will _get her back," Minato said, standing and coming over to her. "I don't care if I have to pull out Rasengan on every single one of them. Our daughter will be safe."

Kushina closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to relax with the motion of his hands. "So, you're right. We just need to beat a clan of dangerous S-class criminals. Riiiiiight."

"It's almost sunset," Minato noted, looking to the west. "We should get into place."

The team, which ostensibly consisted of Minato, Kushina, and "Naruto," got up from their camp, half a mile away from the remains of the Heaven and Earth Bridge. The small trio, flanked by hidden ANBU and elite Jounin about 100 yards away on either side, pushed off and flew through the woods and undergrowth toward the deep canyon.

Despite what he'd said to Kushina, Minato was a twitchy ship at the bottom of the ocean—a nervous wreck. His stomach was a ball of knots and he couldn't think of anything except getting his daughter back, and hopefully killing a few of the bastards after Naruto in the process.

They arrived at the edge of the canyon and Minato watched the sun go down nervously, though he couldn't help but hear his grandfather's voice in his head. _You shouldn't stare at the sun too long. _

At last, it went down and Minato looked to the other side of the chasm. He waited, and waited.

And waited.

Five minutes after sunset, Inuzuka Kiba and Akamaru bounded up to the trio. They'd been brought to the operation as a tracking team. Minato's stomach dropped as he read the look on the young man's face.

"What is it?" Kushina demanded. "Where are they?"

Kiba shook his head. "They're nowhere near here. I picked up Tama's scent at an abandoned compound a few miles south, but it was several days old."

"Several days old?" Kushina demanded. The jounin came out of the woods around them, having noticed the conspicuous absence of men in black cloaks. Kakashi and Genma stepped up closer to hear what was going on, the former summoning his nindogs and sending them off to find Tama's scent. "Where are they now? We'll follow them!"

"That's the problem," Kiba answered slowly. "At the compound, Tama's scent was with a ton of others—about ten others. A few of them I recognized from one time we went after Sasuke."

"What happened? Why did you come back here instead of going after the trail?"

"Are we going after Tama or Akatsuki?" Kiba asked, spreading his hands. "Because their trail splits off."

Genma frowned and played with the needle in his mouth. "Did Tama escape?"

Kiba shook his head. "No, she was with someone else."

"Who? Who else would take Tama?" Minato asked. "Is there anyone else who would want her?"

"Considering she's the daughter of two very powerful, very famous ninjas who undoubtedly acquired many enemies in your time together," Genma said. "Maybe we should start with a list of them."

"Not necessary." One of Kakashi's nindogs trotted up to join them. "The trail's old, but we've got a couple on it, anyway."

Kushina frowned. "You said a list wasn't necessary. Why? Do you recognize the scent of the person who has Tama?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I met him before when I was with Naruto, Hinata, and Yamato. The creepy guy with white hair who smelled like a snake."

"Kabuto," Kakashi said. He turned to Minato and Kushina, two very confused people. "He was Orochimaru's assistant. When Orochimaru died, Kabuto merged the remains with his own body, and when we saw him, several months ago, the remains were trying to take over his body, according to visual reports."

"So, he has Tama?" Kushina asked.

Kakashi nodded.

* * *

Tama forced her eyes open and flinched at the bright lights shining down in them. She tried to bring her hand up to block it, but her hand felt like it weighed a thousand pounds. With a good deal of effort, she pushed herself up and the room swayed. Nausea bubbled up in her stomach. The room—cell—whatever she was in stank and with each breath, the stench got worse as did the churning in her stomach.

She pushed herself onto her stomach and leaned her upper half off of the bed, just in time. Her body convulsed, though nothing came up except stomach juices and saliva. Tama coughed and heaved, tears stinging her eyes until she could breath again. She reached up and rubbed at her mouth, hating the taste of the bile in her mouth. Something wrenched painfully in her arm, but she didn't get a chance to inspect it before someone interrupted her.

"You'd better get used to that, my dear."

Tama spun to the sound of the voice, but a wave of dizziness knocked her back onto the bed. With a groan, she sat up more slowly and faced the voice—and the horrifying double chakra signature she'd felt first in the Akatsuki lair.

The man (?) standing before her seemed to have two faces. One half seemed human. He had white hair in a ponytail, glasses and a fairly unremarkable face. The other half was distinct with its yellow eyes, long black hair and pale-as-night skin. Tama closed her eyes.

"Yes, you'll be having those problems for another, eight or nine weeks, I'd say. Though I hear the following months are even worse."

Once she could be sure she wouldn't dry heave upon opening her mouth again, Tama said, "What are you talking about?"

The man laughed—a creepy combination of high-pitched girly and pedofilic raspy. "Look at your stomach, my dear."

Terrified of what she would find there, Tama pulled her shirt up a few inches. There, just above her right hipbone, was a thin red line, clearly a cut a few weeks healed. Then, a few inches to the left, was a circle in the same manner: thinly cut and weeks old. Confused, but somehow knowing this wasn't good, she looked up at the man-thing.

"What have you done?" she whispered.

He—it? laughed again. "It's wonderful. I'll explain it all to you later. But the most important thing to remember right now is—oh, wait, I haven't congratulated you!"

Her stomach threatened to protest again and she took deep breaths until she could speak, clearly what he was waiting for. "For what am I to be congratulated?"

"Impending motherhood!" the non-person cheered. "You're pregnant."

* * *

--

* * *

MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Oh, I'm being so mean to them, aren't I? And no, KABUTO DID NOT RAPE HER. He's much too scientific for that. The circle on her stomach was his version of artificial insemination.

So, I'm working on an original fic right now. If I ever decide it's good enough, I'll post it on fictionpress com. Someday I want to publish, and I'd love to hear all of your opinion. (My roommate told me that my writing--recent writing, not the beginning of 'If Only'--was better than Stephanie Meyer's, so if she got published, so could I.) that made me very happy.

sorry if that offended any Twilight fans, but . . . it's an entertaining read, but it is certainly not deserving of the hype. (In my opinion.) And what the hell kind of name is Renesmee Carlie?

And, yeah, did I mention, Cedar Point rocks?!


	4. Chapter 3

*peeks head from around corner*

Please don't kill me. I know I deserve it after abandoning you all for so long, but please, don't kill me. The only acceptable excuse would have been if I was in a coma, which I wasn't. My soul may have been in a coma (I didn't write, read or act anything for almost a year), but I probably could have woken it up for you guys. I should have, and I'm sorry. Please, forgive me.

Well, if you are still reading, a synopsis is in order. Last chapter: Karin and Juugo broke Sasuke out of ANBU HQ, where he was being punished for crimes against Konoha. Naruto's twin sister Tama had been kidnapped by Akatsuki. A group of Jounins, including her parents, were sent out to save her, but at the meeting place no one showed and Kiba revealed her trail away was several days old. Tama had been taken by Kabuto/Orochimaru, who had tried to artificially inseminate her. And that is the cliffie I left you dangling off of for so long.

I know a couple of people asked me if they could draw scenes from the story and that's fine. My e-mail went kaplooey so I can't look up who, but if you asked, go ahead, just mention it's from my story in writing. Thanks!

Again, SORRY.

I don't have work on the weekends, so I'll update this sucker on Monday.

Also, if anyone lives in the Cleveland/Columbus area and wants a free kitten (whose fixing and vaccinations would already be taken care of) my cousins need to get rid of three. So, message me! I'm desperate here people.

Chapter 3 

Sasuke ran as fast as his legs could move, but without chakra, and with the sedatives that had been pumped into his system by the damned Konoha ANBU, that wasn't all too fast. The buildings of the cursed city weren't flying by nearly as quickly as he wanted them too.

And he wanted _out. _Besides having been held prisoner for crimes that were quite justified, considering he was an avenger, the streets were full of Narutos. Hundreds, possibly thousands of the blond idiots were running through Konoha, causing havoc. He had to keep his head down and make sure none of them spotted his signature hairstyle, or he'd be done for. Fighting off one demonic moron was bad enough, he didn't want a whole mob's "affection."

Just as Sasuke's tolerance was reaching a breaking point, where he would have grabbed the nearest kunai and started hacking through the shadow clones—chakra or no chakra—Juugo grabbed him around the middle and heaved him up. With that, Sasuke, Karin, and Sasuke's current mode of transport began flying over rooftops.

He let out a grunt of satisfaction as at last—and hopefully for the last time—he was beyond the city walls. If the guards on duty had noticed them slipping by with all of the commotion, due in part to Naruto and part to what was probably Suigetsu's diversion, they dismissed it. They would undoubtedly be punished for letting him escape. A smirk rose to his lips as he imagined them scrubbing out his empty cell as penalty.

The trio went a little ways north out of the city, enough to avoid the patrols. Eventually, Juugo set Sasuke down in a small clearing. Karin swooped in like a redheaded vulture before his feet hit the ground, fussing over the frustrated Uchiha.

"Oh, Sasuke!" she screeched.

He winced. His ears were sensitive to annoying pitches.

"What did they do to you? I could barely feel your chakra when we were in Konoha. What did they do? Did they steal it from you? Those bastards would do that, I bet. Do you still have your Sharingan?"

He silenced her with an exasperated glare. "They sealed my chakra as part of my punishment."

She ranted for a few minutes about them. Her invectives focused mostly on their birthright and intelligence and were mild compared to his. If he had bothered to voice his contempt. He didn't have to. Actions were louder than words and he would show his disdain for the whole of his former village when the time came.

As he briefly envisioned his revenge on the council, Karin finished with a huff, her face and hair having become a matching hue. She eventually spun back to face him. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Can you break seals?"

"Well, no, but—"

"Then there is nothing you can do."

"We know someone who can," Juugo said.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. The catalogue of seal masters was very small, and most of them were associated with villages. They wouldn't really agree to help a missing nin and damage their relations with the powerful Leaf.

"Oh yes!" Karin agreed enthusiastically. "He will be able to help us."

"What is his name?"

Juugo stepped in before Karin could launch into a convoluted explanation to a simple question. "Tobi. He is with Akatsuki."

"Akatsuki." A heartbeat of dead silence followed the word. "You associated with Akatsuki?"

"It was the best way to get you out," Karin explained, stepping close to him. She reeked of perfume, a scent utterly unbecoming a ninja. Though he was hard-pressed to qualify her as a ninja. "Besides, they approached us, not the other way around. We know how much you hate Akatsuki because of _him._"

"Why would Akatsuki bother with you?" He didn't bother to correct her assumption.

"Tobi wants you." Juugo's succinct answer once again thankfully cut off any of Karin's noise.

Sasuke's mind raced through the implications. It was certain that this Tobi person wanted him alive, probably for the Sharingan. It was therefore unlikely that he would be killed on sight. Once his chakra was unleashed, overcoming Akatsuki would be a minor inconvenience. Most of them had no defense against the Sharingan, much less the Mangekyo.

"We will go to Akatsuki and have my chakra unsealed."

"And then what?" Karin wondered as she matched his pace.

He ignored her. "Where were we supposed to meet Suigetsu?"

Her face fell, as if she had been hoping that he would forget about their fishy teammate. She gestured to the northwest. "Oh, that way. But it's not like we need him. All he does is complain and slow us down. He's not even any good in a fight."

"Juugo?"

"Two miles out of the northwest gate."

"Let's get him," Sasuke decided, disregarding Karin's indignation as always. "And then go meet Akatsuki."

* * *

Her eyes tracked the creature as he paced across the small cell. She couldn't really call him a "man." At the same time, she couldn't describe his movement as walking. Sometimes, he practically slithered as he paced, other times he moved with sharp, measured precision, and there were other moments when he seemed to freeze and jerk for a second. She assumed these were times when his two halves were fighting for control.

Tama pushed aside the shock value of his words for the moment. It was too staggering to fully comprehend. He was fretting over something now, having announced her pregnancy.

She leaned back on the wall and rested a hand over her stomach. She didn't feel pregnant. And that wasn't just her denial talking. A fetus' chakra was distinctly different from its mother's. It might've been too early to tell, but Tama could detect no deviation of her chakra flow.

A frown creased her face. What had he said? _"You'll be having those problems for another eight or nine weeks." _Morning sickness usually ended with the first trimester, twelve weeks in. If his timeline was correct, she should be just about four weeks along.

She'd met pregnant women before. Even when they hadn't known they were pregnant, she could tell by their chakra that something was off. Things started changing the instant the embryo implanted itself in the uterus wall, which was under four weeks.

If Tama was pregnant, she should feel something. Either the fetus had no chakra, or she wasn't pregnant.

Her green eyes again drifted to the thing that was occupying the cell with her. He was the only one who knew what was going on, but she wondered how stable was the information in the two halves of his brain—which apparently couldn't agree on some issues.

He wasn't paying any attention to her, still arguing with himself. The cell she was in was small, made of some sort of stone. That eliminated her simply charging through it. There was only one door, which could be sealed shut and locked from the outside. Tama chewed her lip. Even if she could get past him and out the door—which was questionable in her currently weak state—she had no idea the layout of the compound she was in, or how many guards would be there.

Panic rose with the thought that she would be trapped in here forever. Even if this embryo he'd implanted hadn't survived, once the creature realized it, he would try again. His form of madness was obsession-based. He wouldn't stop until it worked.

Her stomach rolled at the prospect and she only managed to settle it with a great effort. Though dread still tightened a knot in her stomach, Tama stiffened her resolve. She was Uzumaki Tama. There was no way that some half-and-half psycho was going to hold her hostage for long.

The thing's creepy laugh broke into her thoughts and brought her back to the present. "Oh, I recognize that look, oh yesss I do. How many times have I seen it?"

Tama's eyes narrowed. "Oh? I think I would remember seeing you. You've a distinct pair of faces."

"Oh, we've never met," he agreed. "And I must admit, that stubborn face was quite a surprise. You don't really resemble him."

She remained silent, though her mind was spinning. Who was he talking about? Her father? Twin brother? Both were dead, last she heard. There had been rumors about the two of them coming back to life somehow in the past few weeks, but Tama was loathe to believe them.

"Yes, the Jinchuuriki has quite the will when he puts his mind to it. No talent to be a ninja, which is a shame considering his considerable chakra. Many times he's foiled my plans, or thought he has."

The thing giggled.

"He was playing into my hands all along. Of course, then Sasuke had to go and kill me, the little Uchiha brat. What a combination. It was my plan the entire time, from the instant I learned that Kushina—your mother—had a very special form of energy. Green energy, that was more refined than chakra. More powerful, too."

Mismatched eyes found her on her cot. "I want that power. I also want the Sharingan. Can you imagine the Sharingan powered by your spirit energy?"

He was lost in thought for a time. Tama mulled over his words. Apparently, this thing was trying to mix _Areah Broah_ with Sharingan and probably a few other random things as well. The embryo—she refused to think of it as a child—was a mash-up of genetics. Partly from her, partly from the Uchiha clan and probably from him as well.

Tama silently breathed a sigh of relief. This thing wanted a powerhouse of chakra. Even in the fetal stage, if he had succeeded, she would feel something.

"The original plan was for the Kyuubi." She tuned back in to what he was saying, hoping to glean some information from his rambling. "After Akatsuki had sucked the demon out of him, his genes would have been permanently altered by the presence of demonic chakra. The only thing he didn't have was the Sharingan, but the Yondaime's pupil proved that could be transferred with at least partially successful results." It laughed hysterically for a moment. "Pupil! Oh, the puns. Student and eye."

It no doubt would have continued talking to her, rather at her, but at that moment, someone banged on the door. Tama couldn't fathom who would possibly help this creature, but it apparently had assistants of some kind. It hurried to the door and leaned down, listening to a murmuring voice.

Two-Face turned and smiled at her, sending chills down the girl's spine. "I'll be back, my dear. Take good care of our baby. Oh, and don't attempt any abortions. Unless you manage to destroy your uterus, I'll simply try again. And if you do cease to be useful, you'll die."

With that, the thing left her alone in her cell. She almost sighed with relief, but the stench would have made her retch. Instead she just smirked and rested a hand over her stomach again. Nope, there was no chakra other than hers. The first try had failed.

How long would it be until he tried again? It sounded like he wanted a monster, some sort of super weapon. For what purposes, she didn't know, but she'd read enough books. Weapons of the magnitude he implied, with demonic chakra, spirit energy, Sharingan, and whatever he was, were never for benign or benevolent purposes. Generally speaking, obsessive, schizophrenic megalomaniacs with plans for powerful weapons wanted to take over the world. Occasionally destroy it, but she'd always had a hard time believing someone really wanted to destroy the world. It wasn't practical. They'd die as well.

So, the creature probably had designs of world domination and he wanted something that would be able to take on the five Kages and defeat them.

Tama blew out a breath and put a stop to her imaginative ramblings. There was no proof of anything, except that this thing was very patient. She knew a bit about the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki. He was around her age, so this thing had been planning the creation of a weapon for at least seventeen years.

There was really only one way to prevent it. She had to escape him and blow this facility to high heaven. Preferably kill the creature, but its chakra though unstable was exceedingly powerful.

Still, she mused, there were ways around that. There were herbs that could mess with someone's chakra. Actually, they screwed with the chakra path in the body, but it ended up being the same thing. The problem was how to get the herbs into him?

Tama leaned back against the rough, hard wall. She had a lot of thinking and planning to do.

* * *

Everyone but Minato flinched as yet another tree exploded. He realized that Kushina was tearing the surrounding forest to bits in her rage, and that the area near the Heaven and Earth Bridge would probably never be the same when she was through with it.

"Shouldn't we advise her to save her anger for the Akatsuki and whoever they gave Tama to?" Genma asked.

Kakashi chuckled. "She'll still have plenty when we find them, don't worry."

The senbon bobbed as Genma thoughtfully gnawed on it. He watched as she punched her way through the trunk of another tree, sending it crashing to the ground. "Tsunade taught her, didn't she?"

Kushina let out a final bellow of rage and slammed her fist into a boulder. The chakra explosion turned it to dust. Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "How could you tell?"

A smirk flitted across the other Jounin's face, but it quickly vanished. "Why are we here instead of going after this guy that grabbed Tama?"

"Because we are being played," Minato replied. Everyone in the newly-formed clearing turned to look at him. He glanced up, ensuring he had their attention, and continued. "Akatsuki and this Kabuto person have been manipulating us. We have so far regularly walked right into the traps they have set. This pattern must stop. We need to take control of this situation and stop letting them dictate the rules."

Silence reigned until Kushina broke it. "Obviously this meeting was a ruse. But to what purpose? And why did you say 'traps,' as in more than one?" She planted her fists, red and raw from the pummeling they'd just delivered, on her hips.

He regarded her for a minute, then leaned back. "Just a theory I'm developing. The purpose of this meeting was simply to get us out of Konoha, for whatever reason."

"Do you think they're after Naruto?" Kiba asked, lifting his head. He had been lounging on his stomach watching Kushina's impressive destructive spree.

Minato frowned. "It could be, but that just doesn't feel right."

"Why are we just sitting here while they're in Konoha?" Kushina demanded, stomping back to the group.

"That's what they'd expect us to do," Minato said. "And they certainly would have made their move by now, so it's too late for us to prevent anything." A frown creased his brow and he sank back into thought for a moment. "If they have Naruto, it will take them time to transport him and to break the seal. That gives us time to save him. Kakashi, send one of your nin dogs to circle Konoha and find Naruto's trail, if he has left the city."

Kakashi nodded, but added, "I'll send two. One for Naruto and one for Sasuke."

"Uchiha?" Kiba sneered. He was still pissed at the guy. Kiba and Akamaru had almost died trying to bring the jerk back years ago and what did they get? Nothing. Not even a thank you. Talk about rude. "Why? There's no way he could escape. Not with all the ways the council tied him down."

"Akatsuki might want him," Kakashi said. With that he turned and pulled out a scroll to summon more dogs. Kiba shrugged, rolled over and started talking to Akamaru.

Kushina threw herself down next to Minato. "I should have known this wouldn't be easy. I always got in trouble around you. More dangerous missions, people you'd pissed off trying to kill you, other Jounins jealous of your ability. And you always knocked drinks over in restaurants."

A ghost of a smile flitted across his face. "I thought I'd never impress you. But as I recall, you were the magnet for trouble as well. Simple missions became difficult. A pleasant night out would turn into a brawl at a seedy bar."

She grunted and pulled out a kunai, spinning it around her fingers. "We survived it all somehow, and managed to pass on the tendency for trouble to our kids. 'Cept theirs is bigger and more likely to kill them."

Minato reached out and stilled her nervous kunai-twirling. It had been a dead giveaway years ago, and it still was. He smiled at her. "Like you said, we survived somehow. They will too."

"How?" Kushina demanded, digging her heel into the dirt. She shot him a look. "We never had to deal with Akatsuki."

"I don't know," he admitted. His eyes drifted up to the sky, the bright patterns of stars. They were still a wonder to him, even more so now that he'd been in the Shinigami for years. There was no sky there, no moon or stars or sun. Seeing the sparkling gems in the night sky reminded him that he'd come back from the dead. Anything was possible. "I don't know how, but they'll be fine. I have faith in them."

* * *

I'm a bit rusty. As I said I hadn't written anything for a while. When I did sit down to continue this, I'd plum forgotten where all of my plot lines were going. Had to remember/make up stuff.

So, ah, review, please?

Feel free to throw rotten vegetables, but preferably nothing sharp like knives or spears. Thanks!


	5. Chapter 4

Yo, everybody! I'm back, again. Sorry about the lateness of the update (it's 10 pm my time) but I had a midterm this morning. So a good portion of the weekend was spent studying. Eugh. And now I get to go workout. Totally don't want to, but that's the way of life.

ERm. Enjoy!

Chapter 4

"_So you're out of Konoha," _Kyuubi stated._ "Now what?"  
_

"Well, Akatsuki said the exchange was gonna be at the Heaven and Earth bridge," Naruto replied. "So I figured I'd head there."

Derisive laughter echoed through his head. "_Your parents aren't used to dealing with Akatsuki. They've dealt with devious criminals before, but nothing on this level, and concern is clouding their judgment. Even if an exchange does take place, you know they can do body doubles pretty easily. And that's if they show at all."_ Kyuubi paused to let Naruto process that. _"Akatsuki, however, will certainly be on to your parents. They know how the good guys work, and they'll know Minato and Kushina won't trade you."_

Naruto frowned. "So the exchange was a ruse either way," he muttered. "But we know they have Tama. Were they aiming to get at me?"

"_I think they wanted to get at the Uchiha brat actually," _Kyuubi spat with disdain. Behind the bars to his cage, Naruto could feel him pacing, nine tails swishing in agitation. _"His little group got him out of prison."_

Naruto stumbled to a halt. "Wait-what?"

Kyuubi rolled his eyes. _"Years with me living inside your head, messing with your senses and you still haven't learned a thing. Except how to find the best ramen shop in any town. I can smell him, and several others, out of the northwest gate."_

Naruto tilted his head back and sniffed the air. Now that the demon had pointed them out, he could smell them. He glanced to the north. They were on the other side of the city. Even with his speed, he'd be hard pressed to get to Sasuke quickly. After all this time, Naruto was under no illusions about his old friend's willingness. This wouldn't be a fight for Sasuke; it would be a fight against him.

A little voice in his head was insisting that it would be easier now that Sasuke was all sealed and sedated, that now was the time to beat some sense into him.

Kyuubi growled in warning. _"The Uchiha can wait. You've been after him for years. Take some time for your real family, before you lose them for good. Your sister needs you."_

Years of near-obsessive focus were hard to go against. "But now's my chance! Maybe this time!"

"_Stop being such an idiot!" _Kyuubi howled. _"Your obsession with the psychotic Uchiha—"_

"Shut up! You don't know anything!"

"_I don't know anything?!" _Kyuubi roared. The bars in Naruto's mind shook with the demon's indignation, making his head rattle. _"I've been inside your head from the day your mother brought you into this world! The day your father sealed me inside you!"_

"He did that for—"

"_I know things even you don't."_

Even Naruto's thoughts ground to a halt at the tone of the last statement. It sent chills down his spine, even more so since they came from inside his head.

"You're talking about the time before I came to Konoha."

Kyuubi was silent for a time, so still that Naruto couldn't sense him at all. At last, he got a response. _"Now is not the time for that. Tama is in danger."_

"You brought it up, furball! Don't back out of it now! Where was I before the old man brought me to Konoha? How come when I first got here, I couldn't understand anyone?" Naruto thought back, searching for other times things couldn't be explained. Some of them had to be related to whatever secret Kyuubi was keeping. "When I was searching for my spirit energy, I came across a memory that I hadn't known before. What was that? Where was I when I was a kid?"

"_You need to find Tama," _Kyuubi snapped.

"Yeah, the twin sister I never met because of other people constantly screwing with my life! I've had enough! I have a right to know about my life! What did you do that makes me forget?"

"_Just find your sister," _he growled. _"That is more important than whatever your pathetic little mind can or cannot remember."_

"My parents'll find her. I want to know what's going on! I'm sick of being lied to!" Naruto folded his arms and stared resolutely. Kyuubi was stubbornly silent. "If you don't answer, I'm coming in there!"

Still, he got no response from the usually vociferous demon. Naruto huffed, stomped over to a nearby tree and sat down, leaning back against the trunk. Within moments, he was in the somewhat dingy sewer of his mindscape.

_The giant metal bars loomed before him, terrifying and familiar. The seal was intact, if a bit worn around the edges. The sound of dripping water echoed from somewhere in his mind. _

_Naruto stomped up to the apparently empty cage. There was no sign of his constant companion. "Talk to me."_

"_You are wasting precious time, Naruto." Kyuubi's voice echoed from the depths of the cage. "Time you do not have to save—"_

_Naruto snorted. "Time moves differently in the mindscape. I can't be wasting much, if any, time."_

"_This is not the only place that time moves differently," Kyuubi warned. "If I am right-"_

"_I don't trust you," Naruto shot back. He planted his feet and stood before the gates, hands fisted and mouth twisted into a fierce snarl. Somewhere in his mind, the dripping stopped. "You've kept something from me my whole life! How can I believe you?"_

_The demon once again fell silent for a bit. "If there is one who can understand your feelings of manipulations, it is I. You know what Madara did to me and my family." Kyuubi took a deep breath. "I kept things from you, things you could not handle as a child. Perhaps you can handle them now, but your sister may be in grave danger. We must move quickly."_

_Naruto considered the cage and the darkness behind it, debating._

"_Tama is the child of Minato and Kushina," Kyuubi reminded him. Inside the cage, he slid up to the bars as a human, albeit with pointy ears and teeth. "Start running, kit. I will explain on the way."_

_The blond eyed Kyuubi a moment more before taking a deep breath and--_

-jumping to his feet. _Which way?_

"_Northeast. Toward Lightning."_

Naruto started sprinting, soon jumping into the trees to save energy. _Where are we going? _

Kyuubi was silent for a time, and Naruto decided to let him gather his thoughts. _"Your parents and I went on a mission to destroy a laboratory once. Your mother went in undercover, but was discovered. Before we could get her out, the scientists there did some tests. They learned about what they called her green chakra."_

_Areah Broah? _Naruto asked. The trees whizzed by him at astonishing rates. He pondered idly that it might have been a good idea to pack more food, but he hadn't planned on going on such a long trip. He'd find something on the way.

He felt Kyuubi nod in his head. _"That's right. But Minato and I buster her and . . . everyone else out before they could do anything substantial. Per Orochimaru's orders, we saved the files they had and delivered them to him."_

_To Snake-face! _Naruto cried. He thought his parents were smarter than that. Course, Sasuke was pretty smart and the creep had managed to lure him in. _Why the hell would you do that?_

"_We trusted him at the time. He didn't reveal his deception until after your birth. He remarked to me later, after imbibing a good deal of alcohol, how simply remarkable it would be for a child to have Areah Broah and your father's birthright."_

_Okay. _Naruto thought for a second. _What does this have to do with Tama? And why are we going to Lightning?_

Kyuubi growled in frustration. "_If ever you had a brain, it has surely atrophied from disuse." _

_Hey!_

"_Akatsuki had no use for your sister beyond bait. Once your parents, as well as several powerful ANBU and Jounin, were lured out of Konoha, her use for them would have been over."_

_But . . . _

Kyuubi waited, and waited, for Naruto to make the connection. Much as he teased the brat, there wasn't a half-bad brain in his blond head. He just rarely used it. The demon mused that he should train Naruto to use his mind. It was tough, being the brains of the operation, after all.

_Oh! Orochimaru wants her because she has the spirit energy and Kekkei genkai! _

"_Good job! And Kabuto's absorbing his remains, and therefore his memories."_

_But where would Kabuto take her? _Naruto wondered.

Here Kyuubi smirked. "_To the old lab that we infiltrated years ago. It's in Lightning. I can direct you there. But we need to hurry."_

_Well, obviously if Kabuto's got her. _Naruto put a little bit more _oomph _behind his legs, pushing himself farther and faster.

"_It's more urgent than that," _Kyuubi revealed. _"The lab had a very special jutsu around it. Lightning ninjas are masters of time and space jutsus. Around the lab, there is a jutsu that manipulates time."_

Naruto made a face. _How does that work? Sounds complicated._

"_It is. You would no doubt be unable to understand it. But the effect is this: every day here is approximately one week in the laboratory." _Kyuubi paused to let it sink in.

_So, wait. If I take one day to get to the lab . . . for Tama, it would be a week?_

"_Exactly. You understand the need for haste. I suggest you pick up the pace so we can get her away from the creature once known as Orochimaru."_

_You mean Kabuto. Or both? What should we call him?_

Kyuubi rolled his eyes and threw his hands in the air. _"Fine, we'll call the creature Kabuchimaru, okay?"_

Despite the gravity, Naruto chuckled. _Kabuchimaru. That has a kinda ring to it. _

"_Just focus on running. Put some of my chakra into your steps for now. We need to cover ground, and no one will be able to catch up if you move fast enough."_

_Right. _With that, Naruto began to glow radioactive red and fly even faster through the trees.

* * *

The door to her cell creaked open. At first they had been reluctant to open it all the way, fearing she might make an escape attempt, but her continued compliance had allowed them to relax. She narrowed her eyes, hoping desperately that it was—yes! It was Akiyama. He'd been the kindest to her. She was still pretending to be pregnant, and so far no one had bothered to test it. The Creature was apparently gone for the time being.

Akiyama had whispered a few words to her, here and there. It turned out he felt horrible for her, being "pregnant" and trapped in this cell. She felt rather guilty lying to him, but didn't want to think about the world his child would grow up in if the Creature's plans came to fruition.

Tama flashed him a warm, wan smile. "How is your wife, Akiyama? And the baby?"

A shy smile spread across his face. "They are well. Thank you for asking."

"How far along is she now?" Tama asked. "It's been a couple of weeks since you found out, right?"

Akiyama gave her an odd look. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, I started talking to you a couple of weeks ago. I mean, I can't really keep track of the days in this cell, with no sunlight or anything, but it's been a while. How many weeks is she?"

He stared at her for a while. "You do not know, do you?"

Tama frowned. "Know what, Akiyama?"

The skittish man glanced around and stepped slightly closer to her, handing her the plate of food directly. "You see, every week in here is only a day in the real world, or something like that."

Tama numbly took the plate of food from him and set it on the cot beside her. Her mind struggled to wrap itself around this new tidbit of information. Akiyama leaned in with concern. "Are you okay? Is something wrong with the baby?"

His question snapped purpose into her mind. "Oh, well, you see. The Cre—your master wants my baby because I have very special powers. But I need special herbs, or the baby will die."

Akiyama wrung his hands and once again glanced over his shoulder. He seemed even more nervous than before. "I—I shouldn't be saying this, but if—if _he _wants the baby, it is not for, ah, gentle purposes." He shrank a bit after saying this, as if expecting to be killed instantly.

Tama watched him carefully. "Akiyama-san, I know."

The man's face fell, as if he had been expecting quite a different answer. Before he could leave, before she lost her only chance at escape, Tama continued. "I don't want him to have my baby. I need to get out of here before he takes it."

Akiyama's eyes widened, though he didn't make a move or a sound. She continued. "I need to take him out. For that, I need some special herbs. If I tell you what they are, will you get them for me?"

"I . . . uh . . ." Akiyama hesitated, twisting his hands furiously and checking over his shoulder.

Tama reached out and stilled his anxious motions. She offered a reassuring smile. "Once I get out of here, I can get protection for your wife and baby," she murmured. "You won't have to worry about the thing hurting them anymore."

He met her gaze for a long time, searching. She held it, hoping desperately that he would agree. Eventually the Creature would come back and see through her ruse. Or her body would recover from the trauma it had endured with the surgeries and her cycle would begin again. The Creature would try again, and she didn't want to take the chance that it would succeed.

At long last, Akiyama gave a sharp nod. He pulled himself from her grasp and left the cell, not sparing her another glance.

She leaned back against her cell wall. There was always a chance that this wouldn't work. Akiyama could bail. His courage wasn't all that great. Tama rubbed her eyes and stuffed some of the food in her mouth. She had to keep her strength up. If her new friend didn't come through, she'd have to come up with a plan B.

Thoughts ran through her head. Tama grabbed each one and analyzed it, keeping some, dismissing most. There were times that the Creature was so distracted, it seemed to be oblivious to the world around it. She might be able to capitalize on that. She knew about pressure points. If she could take its arms out, that would hamper the jutsus.

_I still need a good weapon. Something better than the little skull-bashers I've been able to collect. _She glanced at the collection of rocks under her cot. Her throwing arm and aim weren't too bad, and crushing someone's temple was a swift, if bloody, way of quickly dispatching someone.

There wasn't much else in her room. Her mattress didn't even have springs in it that she could pull out and sharpen. Still, there were the legs. Tama eyed them speculatively. A couple of them weren't stable. She leaned under the cot and examined the back legs a bit more closely.

_Oh, yes. I can use these. _On one of the back legs, the wood had split. It was a partial fault, but Tama figured she could work the rest of a piece off and sharpen it. At least that way she'd have a blunt and sharp weapon.

Tama checked over her shoulder. Akiyama had just delivered her food, which usually held all of her prenatal vitamins. No one should be here to bother her for a while. She slipped under the cot and began to pick at the fault line of the leg. It would take a while, but she'd get it free. And then she'd get herself free.

No matter what it took.

* * *

Sasuke took a deep breath to keep his patience. Karin and Suigetsu were at it again. Of course, when were they not? At some point, he had to get better teammates. Juugo could stay, provided he could keep his curse seal in check a reasonable amount. Juugo was quiet. Sasuke appreciated quiet. Perhaps he would inform Karin and Suigetsu that their services were no longer required by ripping their tongues out.

No, he'd have to remove their vocal chords to keep them from screaming. It would be better just to kill them.

"How much farther do we have?" he demanded, cutting through their incessant chatter.

"Meh, I don't know," Suigetsu grumbled. He scratched the back of his head. "Can I kill Karin?"

Karin, for her part, screeched in fury and almost launched herself on Suigetsu. Sasuke cut her attack off with a single barked command of, "Stop."

She eased off, not eager to earn her beloved's disapproval. He rolled his eyes. "At some point, Karin and Suigetsu, you will have a battle to the death and the winner will stay by my side. Save your bickering until then."

Suigetsu smirked at Sasuke's response and bared his teeth in a growl to his nemesis. The red-haired harpy glared back and flipped her hair over her shoulder. "So, where is this Tobi person?"

"Right here."

The quartet suddenly snapped into fighting positions. Above them, on a tree branch, a man in an Akatsuki cloak and a gaudy orange, swirly mask hovered.

"Why didn't you sense him, Karin?" Sasuke growled. "That _is _why I keep you around."

"I—I mean, it's like he's not there, Sasuke," she stuttered in response. "Seriously, I can't feel his chakra."

The man who called himself Tobi chuckled. "It's not her fault. I'm a very unique person. iPerhaps you've heard of me."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "I've heard of Akatsuki, but not of you."

"Oh, but I have another name, Sasuke." The man chuckled and jumped down. He padded closer and looked Sasuke in the eye. The younger Uchiha's other eyebrow shot up as he looked into another Sharingan. "My name is Uchiha Madara and we have much to discuss."

* * *

-------------------------------------------

* * *

Ta -da yay! Another one done. The name Kabuchimaru came from someone in the reviews (I searched, I can't remember or find you, I'm sorry!), but it's not my original idea.

Anyway, let me know what you think and I'll see you next Monday. I'll try to work on my other fics in the mean time. Oh, one question: if anyone cares to answer, what would you say makes humanity as a species unique?

That's all my lovelies. Good night!


	6. Chapter 5

Hello, faithful readers! How are you all this fine monday night? Speaking of, all updates will probably be this late, so don't bother looking for them until at least 10:00 pm EST. That's because these are usually typed immediately after I get off of work at 7.

Well, enjoy the chappie!

Chapter 5

Jiraiya sighed heavily, flipping through yet another book in the Konoha main library. There had to be _something _about one-handed signs for jutsus. He knew they existed. Kakashi and Naruto had mentioned fighting a boy who could perform jutsus with one hand in the Land of Waves. If some little brat, protégé of the great brute Zabuza, could master them surely, he the renowned Toad Sage and Sannin Jiraiya could. He glanced forlornly at the stump of his arm. He didn't have much of a choice.

The only other option to him was to just give up being a ninja and considering it was one of his former students that was causing havoc and collecting the Tailed Beasts, hiding wasn't really an option. Hopelessness washed over him for a second. He'd given everything fighting Nagato, but still been defeated.

A single hand rubbed over his face in fatigue, trying to erase the signs of defeat and age. What had happened? The kids he'd left so long ago had been hurt, but he'd believed they had healed. They were strong enough to survive on their own, with good hearts and noble dreams. Or so he'd thought. Should he have stayed longer? Maybe if he'd brought them back to Konoha with him, if he'd given those three kids homes instead of leaving them to fend for themselves, none of this would have happened. Something had happened that turned Konan and Nagato into monsters. They probably didn't even fully realize it.

It might have been the denial talking, but he couldn't help but think that they hadn't altered from their ideals. Somewhere, those two were still the little kids that had been so scarred by war. Somewhere, he knew they hated it. Those three had always been against the never-ending war that encompassed the ninja world, determined to find a way to stop it. Something had convinced them that the only way to do this was to create war themselves.

Another deep sigh escaped. Whatever had transpired, Jiraiya was sure that it had to do with Yahiko's death. His death had broken their hearts and twisted their ideals. Fighting his student had nearly destroyed him, in more ways than one. Yahiko may have looked like Naruto, but Nagato was closer in spirit, or had been. Losing his friend, as he had lost his parents and his home, must have demolished any hope or innocence left in Nagato. It had convinced him that the ends justified the means; that because his goal was in the greater good of humanity, they had the right to demand the sacrifice of others, to capture and kill innocent people that stood in their way. The old adage was true: the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Some of the most monstrous acts in history were committed with the highest of ideals.

Nagato, Pain, was no doubt on that path. He was trying to force peace on the world, having given up on people finding their own way, learning of the abomination that war was on their own. Soon, very soon, if something wasn't done to divert him from his course, he could cross a line. There would be no coming back if that happened, and his shy, powerful student would become the heartless, war-mongering tyrant he so feared and hated, if he wasn't already.

Jiraiya shut the book, no longer wanting to think about fighting Nagato. If he couldn't defeat him at full power, how could he missing an arm? Brute force wasn't the way to fight Nagato, not with the power he wielded. The thought of going into battle again was an unpleasant thought, but he would have to face it soon.

Tsunade still thought he couldn't remember anything from the battle. His memories had just returned in the past couple of days and he'd been avoiding her ever since. It was on thing to recognize the boy he all but raised was leading the world to destruction. Acknowledging his failure aloud was another thing entirely. He stood slowly, consciously balancing himself. Losing the arm had thrown his center of gravity and equilibrium completely off and he still hadn't adjusted.

The old sage left the books he'd been going through on the table. He'd tried putting them back the first time he'd come in, but the librarians had kicked up quite the fuss over it, insisting he would misfile them. Jiraiya had taken one glance at the crowded, apparently chaotic shelves and left them to it. If they could make some sense out of the mass of books and scrolls, good for them.

Konoha was dark and quiet by the time he got outside. Minato and his team had sent reports back several days ago. The exchange had been a ruse and Kabuto had Tama. The Uchiha had been busted out of his prison that very same day by his ragtag team of psychos, the unoriginally named Hebi. By all accounts, they'd met up with a member of Akatsuki, the one in the orange mask, and vanished off the radar. And just to make sure that the world would go to hell in a handbasket very shortly, Naruto had escaped the confines and protection of the city. Tsunade had nins out tracking him, even though she'd hastily invented a "mission" for him to be on so he wouldn't be classified a missing-nin.

Jiraiya knew that Naruto wouldn't be found until he was good and ready. The blond brat had been trained by himself and Kakashi, plus he had the fox constantly guiding and advising him now. Tailed beasts were masters at hiding, when they weren't stomping on villages.

The only thing that could control or tame the Kyuubi was the Mangekyou Sharingan, which was undoubtedly why Akatsuki wanted Uchiha Sasuke.

Jiraiya sat down heavily. Events were building up to something and by the way the dread in his chest was also steadily increasing, he knew it couldn't be good.

The monument before him shone in the moonlight, the etched figures catching the light and throwing shadows deep and shallow.

"I guess if anyone could understand, it'd be you, old man."

The stone over Sarutobi's grave offered no solace, nor advice.

He leaned back and stared up at the stars. He'd always been able to tell his position by the stars, but now like his old sensei, they could offer no guidance. He was in uncharted waters, much like the rest of the world and here, even the ever-constant stars were strangers.

* * *

Minato glared at the fire, as if the flames were somehow responsible for his errant and unpredictable son. Konoha was _safe. _As safe as one could be when the most dangerous people in the world wanted you, at any rate. But no, Naruto just had to create a distraction of monumental proportions, indirectly assisting in Sasuke's escape, Minato was sure.

Did the boy have no sense?

Beside him, Kushina chuckled. "Apparently, he inherited your looks, but my brains, so I'd say he doesn't have much sense."

The Hokage blinked at her. "What?"

"You asked if he had any sense," Kushina replied, tossing a stick onto the fire, sending sparks dancing into the night. He watched them, not realizing he'd spoken aloud. "I know I didn't at that age, so I'd be he doesn't either."

"Even with an ancient being advising him?" Genma asked, sprawled on the ground.

"With Kyuubi? In case you've forgotten, foxes are tricksters and thousands of years have done nothing to temper his mischievous or independent spirit," the redhead answered. She leaned her head against Minato's shoulder. He shifted slightly, allowing her more comfort, and the long-separated pair sat as they had always sat on missions so many years ago.

She sighed in apparent contentment. "Besides, he's got access to possibly the most powerful being to walk the earth. With Kyuubi in him, Naruto's pretty much safe."

"Unless Uchiha Sasuke has the Mangekyou," Minato pointed out.

The easy look on Kushina's face vanished as he brought up the fact she had been trying to ignore. Kakashi sighed and confirmed her fears. "He does."

She was silent for a minute, her brow furrowing and her mouth twisting, trying to find the words. "You said they were on a team together once, close friend, almost brothers—"

"That is no guarantee," Kakashi said. Minato could tell that he hated delivering the final blow, but it was necessary. "He has tried to kill Naruto before, simply because he was in the way."

Kushina was quiet. Minato felt the tension in her body, indicating a refusal to accept Kakashi's words. He knew that former teammates meant little or nothing to some people. Orochimaru was one, and if Sasuke had studied under him, Minato wouldn't trust Sasuke with Naruto, not at all.

And then there was the issue of Madara. Minato knew the bastard was still alive. He'd survived the fight at the Valley of the End and managed to massacre Kyuubi's family and put a jutsu on him. He was out there; two powerful, possibly insane men with the power to overcome and destroy his friend and son.

But Naruto was undoubtedly heading for Tama on his own. That was a mistake he'd never make twice. The boy was too much like his mother and the demon to be given any sort of loophole. Still, if Minato was right, both his children would soon be in the same area and he could properly corral and protect them, as he had utterly failed to do thus far.

If he continued to fail, there was no doubt in his mind that they would both die. His chest constricted at the thought. He didn't really know either of them, he had never gotten the chance. How could he allow his son and daughter to die before they'd lived?

The Shinigami would take them, and Kushina would hate him for it, she'd leave him and everyone would abandon him because he _failed _and he wasn't strong enough and he'd be left all alone-alone-alone in his pain and misery again like before except now he couldn't hold on to his victory because he had failed them—his children, bright and beautiful and warm, he was sure but he'd never known them and he might not ever get the chance and all the light and warmth and noise would be gone and he'd be cold and dark and silent again and no _no _he couldn't do it, couldn't face the Void again—

"Minato!"

He breathed and blinked. Warmth flooded into him and light assailed his eyes. Her voice was calling to him. His fire, his life.

"Minato, listen, breathe! Can you hear me?"

He groped for her hand and she found him. A shudder passed through his body and his eyes sought hers. She was there. She was warm and her hair glowed in the firelight and her voice was the sweetest thing he'd ever heard. Minato gulped air and looked around. Kakashi, Genma, Kiba were all gathered around him. Concern and alarm flashed in each of their eyes.

He could smell the fire burning the wood, and the sweet scent of trees in the middle of summer. And Akamaru, who needed a bath. The fire crackled and his friends' hearts beat strong and steady. A cool night breeze bathed his skin and Kushina's hand was rubbing his back and running through his hair.

Minato took all this in and let out a sigh of relief.

He was _alive. _

It had been so long. He smiled at them all, reassuring. "I'm okay now. I almost lost it, but I'm fine."

"You need rest," Kushina said, wrapping her arms around him. He reveled in the feeling. "Sleep now, and in the morning we'll head for Lightning again."

He nodded and laid back, his mind returning to thoughts of his upcoming mission. Pieces were slowly falling into place, starting with the First Hokage and Madara, and moving on, through Orochimaru's betrayal and the Uchiha massacre he'd heard so much about.

Minato closed his eyes. He was on the verge of figuring it all out, but he needed one more piece to the puzzle. Nonetheless, he knew when to quit and let his mind rest. Like a body, the mind couldn't work properly if it was overtired and strained. His breathing slowed and settled and Minato drifted off to sleep.

* * *

She had the rocks close by, ready for some skull-smashing. The wooden stake she'd managed to work out of the cot leg was tucked in her sleeve, so she could whip it out at a moment's notice. But her real weapon was in a cloth in her hand: herbs, ground into a fine dust that could be inhaled. All she had to do was get the Creature to breathe in a little of it. Through the respiratory system was the fastest. It would go straight into his system. The clogging of his chakra network would prevent him from using jutsus and hopefully distract him.

Tama wasn't a ninja, but she could take someone down if she needed. It had been weeks since she'd been kidnapped and that time had hardly been spent sitting like a lump. She'd done more push-ups in the past 33 days than in most of her life combined. One good hit to the perfect pressure point and he'd be down for the count, if not permanently.

All he had to do was come in here and check on her. She knew he would soon enough. By now, he would figure she'd be through her second month. She wasn't, of course. Tama had real confirmation of that, and had never been so relieved to see her monthly visitor. Of course, that also meant that he'd know as well, and if she didn't succeed, he'd surely try again.

Tama ran the plan over in her mind. Once she'd taken out Kabuto, as Akiyama had informed her his name was, she'd lock him in the cell. It turned out that most people working for this Kabuto creature weren't there willingly. Akiyama had quietly found the most unhappy ones, and they were all going to help her escape. In return, she'd promised that she would find protection for their families.

Once they were out of the compound, back into the real world where time moved normally, she would lead some ninjas back and they'd all blow this laboratory sky high. That was the plan, anyway. Tama wouldn't fail. Whatever Kabuto was doing, it wasn't good and she was sure that if he succeeded a great many people would be seriously hurt.

That wasn't going to happen on her watch.

The door creaked. Tama's body tensed and her eyes snapped open. She sensed his chakra right outside the door, the vile, unnatural combination an anathema to her senses. The teenager slid off the bed and padded up to right behind the door. If he was half as smart as he thought he was, the thing would send someone else in first. She would have to wait until she actually saw him to throw the powder. Of course, it wouldn't do any real damage and she counted on inhaling some of it herself, but it would be best if Kabuto got a faceful of it.

A figure entered the room. Tama recognized Akiyama from behind. Then, right behind him, the back of Kabuto's head appeared. Half gray and half black, though now more black than gray.

She released a breath and stepped up to them, shoving the powder into his face calmly. He staggered back under the assault and a cloud of dust spread in the room. Kabuto coughed and covered his face.

Beside her, Akiyama chuckled. "Oh, you fell for it."

The forms of the two men shimmered. Now Akiyama was on the floor hacking and Kabuto was standing next to her, smirking. Tama breathed shallowly, her mind racing. "I did expect something, you know," he admitted. "So, I had this chump pose as me."

The smirk spread. "And now you've attacked your ally and completely missed your enemy. I was honestly expecting better."

* * *

"You sure this is it?"

_Yes, brat. I've been here before. _

Naruto made a face and peered around the trees. "It just looks like a shack."

_And you look like you have a brain. Appearances can be deceiving. _

The blond bristled at the insult, but kept his cool. It had taken him two days to travel to Lightning at top speed. Now, he was outside the supposed entrance to this evil, time-warping lab that his sister was housed in. He briefly wondered how close she would be to her other-world counterpart.

_Focus, kit. We need to get in there and wreak havoc._

"Right." Naruto stared at the shack. "How do we do that exactly?"

* * *

Karin peeked around the corner. Sasuke was still sitting there. He'd been there for a long time. She was worried. He hadn't spoken a single word since coming out of that talk with that Tobi man. A scowl marred her face. Whatever he had said, it had greatly upset her precious Sasuke. And the man had had his whole family massacred! He was already wounded and dealing with trauma. She folded her arms and pouted.

On the balcony, Sasuke was perfectly aware of Karin's presence and her annoyance. She didn't matter. Nothing mattered.

The brother he'd loved and then hated with all his heart hadn't betrayed him. Itachi had been following orders, destroying a family that had planned to take over Konoha. Sasuke had killed him, but he felt no guilt. Neither of the Uchihas had been given any choice in the matter.

It was that blasted Village's fault.

They had taken down his family. They had forced his brother into exile.

Sasuke clenched his fists. He was still an Avenger. But now, he had his real target, Konoha.

And he wasn't just going to avenge his family.

He lifted his hands and began to unravel a very particular scroll of Orochimaru's. It was one he had never considered using, until now.

Of course, the resurrection jutsu required sacrifices. An equal number to who he was trying to bring back.

Though the Village populace had not actually spilled his family's blood, he still held them culpable.

He would still make them pay for their folly, with their lives.

* * *

----------------------------------------------------

* * *

Ah, crazy Uchihas, where would we be without them?

So, let me know what you think, as always, my darlings.

Have a good week!


End file.
